One thing I really like about pprune (and avcanada) is stuff comes up that forces you to examine what and how you think about things.
I have to say that the issue of jammed controls is one of them. I am still hard over about futility of 10 hour PPL's obsessing about this and Pilot DAR's advice to just "stop it" is right on IMO.
However it has forced me to ask the larger question of whether or not there is a place for this discussion at any stage of flight training. At the PPL level, I think not, but at the CPL and flight instructor rating maybe so.
First I think a distinction needs to be made between jammed controls and disconnected controls. A disconnected primary flight control is "better" then a jammed control as it will fair it self to a aerodynamically neutral position. If the control has a movable trim tab then it can be indirectly moved with the tab thus allowing some control over that surface. A jammed control is much more serious particularly if it jams with considerable deflection. In this case secondary effects have to be used and there is a significant possibility it will be impossible to retain control of the aircraft, in which case you are well and truly screwed.
I do not directly talk about the subject of disconnected or jammed controls when I teach the CPL or FI courses but I think I am going to change that and incorporate some discussion of these failures in my instruction.
I am planning on presenting 3 main themes.
The first is that if you successfully survived a jammed control event but it turned out the cause of the jam was something that was could reasonably be discovered during the preflight inspection then you should not be congratulating yourself on your superior flying skills you should be profoundly embarrassing that you inattention to detail almost caused the loss of an aircraft and your life. If you had passengers on board at the time of the jam then endangering them is nearing the threshold for criminal negligence.
This furthers the continuing narrative I preach about the importance of not only doing a good preflight inspection but having a strong understanding of what you are looking for and being able to modify the inspection to suit the circumstances. So in the context of this discussion an aircraft that just had a ton of radio work done is going to get a very good look under the panel to make sure there is no wring that could interfere with the control columns or if the elevator was just replaced then all the fittings in the tail are going to get an especially detailed look.
The next theme speaks to the absolute requirement to maintain control of the aircraft. This means that in the event of any suspected control problems apply the minimum use of the controls to maintain a approximately level pitch attitude and with the wings as near to level as possible. Changes in power need to be carefully considered and every thing should be done slowly and carefully. Once control is lost the chance of regaining it with compromised controls will be much lower and the likely hood of a fatal crash much higher.
The last theme is a continuation of the discussion on engine failures. Like an engine failure a jammed/disconnected control is a full on emergency. The only priority is to not injure yourself or the passengers. The condition of the aircraft when it comes to a stop is utterly irrelevant. The accident record clearly shows that the survivable crashes are those where the aircraft contacts the ground wings level, in a level pitch attitude, and with some room to de-accelerate (ie it is not hitting a solid immovable object straight on at speed). Therefore in the event of a jammed control returning to an airport may not be the best course of action. If the aircraft is under control and there is a nice stretch of field right in front of you a slow descent to that field may be a better idea than attempting to manoever back for a landing on an airport runway.
Finally I regret my rather snarky comment suggesting Andrew pm Memphis_Bell
a well known pprune troll.
I would not like to be responsible for contributing to casting a chill over this forum and thus discourage new new pilots from asking questions and thus benefiting from the very considerable experience of many posters here. I of course represent only one view point and my contributions are worth exactly what you paid for them
